The “City of Eternal Spring” has shown that, in a country known for its beaches, there is also a geography capable of captivating from the heights
SANTO DOMINGO – In the heart of the Central Mountain Range, the air smells of pine. Swift, cold rivers rush down from the peaks, and sometimes it seems as if the heat has gone on vacation, though not quite. It's called Jarabacoa, a name that, according to some scholars, means "place of many waters" in Arawak, the language spoken by the Taíno people.
The definition seems tailor-made for the landscape. Four rivers, the Yaque del Norte, Jimenoa, Guanajuma, and Baiguate, cross the municipality, feeding waterfalls, spas, and valleys that are now part of its identity.
Its tourism history is, to a large extent, the story of how Dominicans discovered that they could also vacation in a cabin in the mountains.
For centuries, Jarabacoa was an agricultural and relatively isolated community, which in the mid-twentieth century was targeted by the dictatorship, which decided to promote the construction of state hotels in different parts of the country.
From Hotel Montaña to Café Colao
The Hotel Montaña opened in August 1949, designed to take advantage of Jarabacoa's privileged climate and make it a vacation destination. It had a swimming pool, a medical clinic, a bar, and ample recreational areas.
For decades it was the main symbol of the local tourist offer, and even in 2005, when the hotel was looted after years of abandonment, an official complaint reported among the stolen goods a bed that the imagination points to as the one used by the dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo when he visited the place.
Its development has not been linear. The reconstruction following the devastation and flooding caused by Hurricane David in 1979 brought new infrastructure, bridges, and improved access that ultimately strengthened the area's development.
But the real turning point for tourism in Jarabacoa came in the nineties, with the improvement of land communications, the expansion of residential projects and the growth of private initiatives linked to ecotourism.
The local economy was transformed with the incorporation of adventure and nature activities at Rancho Baiguate, which had been founded in 1976 as a summer camp.
Also in the 90s, organized rafting excursions on the Yaque del Norte River began to become popular, an experience that would turn Jarabacoa into a regional benchmark for adventure tourism.
The consolidation came with the creation of the Jarabacoa Ecotourism Cluster in 2008, an alliance between entrepreneurs, institutions and community organizations aimed at diversifying the offer and strengthening the promotion of the destination.
Today, Jarabacoa is recognized as the Dominican capital of ecotourism, with attractions including the Jimenoa and Baiguate waterfalls, La Confluencia, the Armando Bermúdez National Park and the routes to Pico Duarte, the highest mountain in the Caribbean.
Three thousand visitors a week, according to Yamilka Cruz, director of the Municipal Tourism Office, equivalent to about 156,000 visitors a year, indicate solid growth. This is further supported by a real estate boom driven by mountain villas, short-term rental accommodations, and new tourist developments.
The current tourism offerings combine traditional hotels, private villas, glamping sites, and short-term rental accommodations. Among its best-known establishments are Pinar Dorado, Jarabacoa River Club, Vista del Campo, and The Domes, while restaurants such as Café Colao, Jamaca de Dios, La Tinaja, and El Fresco have become must-visit destinations for both domestic and international tourists.
More than just a destination, the "City of Eternal Spring" has become a brand. It has gone from being a mountain retreat to one of the main tourist hubs in the Dominican interior, demonstrating that, in a country known for its beaches, there is also a geography capable of captivating from the heights.
Content originally published in issue #15 of El Inmobiliario print magazine.
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